A Life for a Life
by uniquechic
Summary: "How pathetic. Did he really look that badly hurt that he needed to be taken care of? By a human girl, nonetheless. Sesshomaru had never felt so degraded. This would have to be stopped immediately." Revisiting the first moment Sesshomaru and Rin meet
1. Chapter 1

It's been forever since I've written anything; sorry if anyone once followed me.

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><p>It had been a miscalculation that almost destroyed him and a seemingly worthless sword that saved him. Sesshomaru hadn't even considered the astronomical odds of Inuyasha actually unlocking Tetsusaiga's power. Either Inuyasha was incredibly stupid, or incredibly lucky. Probably both. Whatever the reason, Sesshomaru had been hit full force with the Wind Scar at close range. Had he not been carrying his Tenseiga he would've undoubtedly died by the hands of his retched <em>half-<em>demon…brother. _Half-_brother.

The pain had been so intense he had actually yelled as his very armor crumbled away. His eyes glowed red as his demon blood boiled in an attempt to strengthen his body, but it did nothing. At the last moment, his despised Tenseiga enveloped him in light and used the power of the Wind Scar to carry its master a safe distance away.

Several hours had passed, yet Sesshomaru lay on the ground motionless with blood seeping through his wounds, soaking into his clothes. When he finally awoke, it wasn't even a full five seconds before he saw and heard movement in the bushes. Shooting up in a fraction of a second, he let out a tremendous growl, his eyes still red as his animalistic survival mode remained in control. A human girl, maybe eight at the most, peeked at him from around a tree and stared directly in his eyes. She posed no threat, but he still wouldn't rest until she had left and he was sure no other creature was around to disturb him.

Later that night, he awoke to see a canteen by his side. It wasn't quite within arm's reach, but it was still fairly close. His gazed stayed on the simple container; two distinct thoughts in his mind: how did he not notice her and why would she bother trying to help. It was obvious it had been the little girl; his annoying vassal Jaken wouldn't have stopped blabbering and weeping "oh Sesshomaru" this and "oh Sesshomaru" that in his irritatingly high pitched voice. He must have lost far more blood than he realized for her to be able to get so close to him- his ears and nose were one of the most sensitive of all demons in existence.

That still left the question of why. He had certainly made a great first impression on her- snarling so viciously he heard her heart stop for a moment. It was actually lucky that he had been as injured as he was, otherwise he most definitely would've killed her on the spot. As much as he hated to admit how wounded he truly was, he was too proud to accept her innocent offer of water. It remained untouched when she came back around midnight. He couldn't make eye contact with her as she set a grilled fish for him next to the ignored water canteen.

How pathetic. Did he really look that badly hurt that he needed to be taken care of? By a _human_ _girl_, nonetheless. Sesshomaru had never felt so degraded. This would have to be stopped immediately.

"Mind your own business girl." He callously told her. "Your generosity is wasted; I don't eat human food."

He had taken it easy on her, taking in consideration that she was only a child. She was merely trying to be nice; he knew she wouldn't be able to understand how belittling she was being to the great dog demon. He figured that his comment would be enough to get her to leave him alone for good. Though, as she left, he could see from the corner of his eyes how dejected she looked and again he wondered why she would possibly _want_ to help him.

[Does anyone know what Sesshomaru eats? I'm starting to wondering if he doesn't photosynthesize...]


	2. Chapter 2

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Dawn had broken and the little girl hadn't returned. As the sun rose higher there still wasn't any sign of her. Sesshomaru dozed in the sunlight, glad for the silence. It was in that moment he realized she never said a word to him. He almost felt bad for dismissing her by thinking that she would only be a nuisance. That feeling quickly passed. He was grateful to be left alone.

His eyes remained closed until a familiar scent approached. He didn't acknowledge that he had been somewhat anticipating for her to appear again. He opened his eyes, but looked away.

In a softer tone, he rejected her food offering again with a simple "no thanks."

She rushed forward to him, arms outstretched with what little she had been able to collect, wordlessly begging him to take it. She needed this moment to feel validated, useful, or wanted. Anything to escape the reality that she didn't fit anywhere in her village as an orphan, only getting in the way.

"I told you I don't need anything from you."

When she realized it was a fruitless effort, her little shoulders dropped and she held back tears. This was the one time she was sure she would be appreciated and she ended up getting shot down instead. If he had accepted her gift it would have been worth the beating she took the night before from the men in the village for stealing one of their fishes for this battered demon.

The girl sighed.

Sesshomaru, still not looking directly at her, brought her spirits up just as quickly.

"Where did you get those bruises?" In her shocked state she could only stare in amazement. He took her silence as an avoidance maneuver.

After a long pause he stated, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Again, he received no answer. He made eye contact with the girl for the first time since he growled at her. Her heart was bursting with joy. He noticed her! He cared! She was given a choice in something- not a demand. He didn't look at her like she was simply an inconvenience; there was even a hint of sympathy in his golden eyes. She couldn't contain her happiness as a smile overtook her entire face and she laughed a little bit. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed.

"What are you smiling about? I simply asked a question. I don't care; I'm just curious."

He was unsure why he continued this conversation, in light of his taciturn nature. This was the most he had said at one time in quite a while. It felt slightly strange to him. Not exactly unpleasant, but certainly outside of his comfort zone.

Even if she could talk, she wouldn't be able to find the words to express just how much it meant for him simply to talk her. In these moments she didn't feel alone.


	3. Chapter 3

In leu of studying...

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><p>The girl cheerfully made her way back to the hut she and her family had lived in. Her happiness was instantly replaced with fear when she discovered a bandit raiding it. She hid behind the door, but he had already seen her.<p>

In an overly harsh tone he asked, "Does this old hut belong to you?"

Frozen at the door, she barely nodded, despite wanting to escape. He started walking towards her with a demented look in his eyes when his attention shifted to the uproar they heard outside. He shoved her out of his way and took off running. If the wolf pack hadn't shown up, she would've been at the mercy of that terrible man.

Her saving grace quickly turned against her. She watched in horror as the leader of the wolves took his revenge on the bandit, killing him without hesitation. The rest of his pack was set free upon the villagers and the slaughter began. She had a slight advantage of her hut being on the outskirts of the tiny town, allowing a bit of a running head start. However, as the wolves finished eating, they began to attack for the fun of it.

It wasn't long before she heard the barking get closer to her.

Her little feet pounded against the ground, legs muscles burned, and she gasped for any air that could fit in her exploding lungs. She cried as she ran for her life. If only she could reach that demon she had been trying to help! He could save her if she could just get to him before the wolves caught up to her.

Unfortunately, as she had been desperately chasing after her possible protector, she didn't see a tree root, tripped, and fell face first on the ground. She had no time to get up and run. The wolves caught up with her in their bloodlust…


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, here's the final chapter of this little thing. Thank you so much for reading, a double thanks for the reviews (triple thanks to those of you how added this as a favorite); you have no idea how much this means to me. More reviews would be lovely, I've had a godawful week and I would appreciate the ego boost. Enjoy :]

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><p>He had become restless waiting out in the middle of a clearing. Though it probably would've been better to stay another day recuperating, Sesshomaru wasn't known for his patience. His soreness would have to wear off on its own. He had briefly considered waiting until that child came back, but decided it wasn't worth it. Goodbyes were never really a part of his already limited social skills.<p>

Sesshomaru found his faithful but incredibly annoying servant waiting in a clearing for him. Jaken yelled some nonsense about Sesshomaru, ignorant of his presences. A "mysterious" rock hit Jaken in the head. Perhaps this indicated Sesshomaru was in a fairly good mood. This attack, of course, led to the "imp" demon to confront him on how he never was shown any respect and he's always ignored… Sesshomaru tuned him out for the most part and in words he didn't care to remember he told the smaller demon to, basically, shut up. Apathy is the only thing that has kept him from killing the servant.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew through the small meadow, catching his attention as the scent of blood and wolves overtook his sensitive nose. He thought out loud, "I recognize this blood."

He wandered into the forest only to find the little girl in the middle of the path, presumably dead. In his life he had seen death more times than there were stars in the sky, but oddly enough this time it affected his cold personality. The only other one had been his father many years ago. There was a tinge of pity in his heart for the poor child.

As Jaken blabbered on needlessly, Sesshomaru was lost in thought replaying his memory the girl's carefree and open smile. He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to do something about this- it wasn't like he had any attachment to the human. However, someplace deep inside of him thought it would be a waste to leave her.

Slowly he decided the Tenseiga might be worth a shot. A life for a life, and even though his wasn't in danger, he still gave her credit for trying. He pulled the sword from its sheath to see if it would even react to her. It pulsated in his clawed hand, echoed and agreed with his deeply buried desire to save the girl. He could faintly see the demons of the underworld trying to claim her.

Again, thinking out loud, "I'll do another test. I'll use the Tenseiga." There was no guarantee it would work. He tried not to expect anything.

With one long slash he cut through the demons, dissolving them, and freeing her soul. He knelt down next to her and propped her against his knee, holding onto her with his arm. He waited a moment with a stern look on his face, already hating his sword more for failing to bring back her life- the one and only thing it had been forged to do.

Suddenly he heard her heart beat. He gasped in amazement. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, waiting for this moment or how disappointed he would've been if the sword hadn't worked. After an excruciatingly long moment, she opened her brown eyes and looked directly at him. He waited until she looked like she was fully alert and then very gently set her back onto her feet.

Without saying another word, he started walking back the way he had originally come from. The girl remained silent. Jaken sputtered incoherently and stood frozen in his spot, completely dumbfounded. Not breaking her gaze from her savior, she slowly started walking towards him, determined to follow him wherever he would go from that day forward.


End file.
